New Britain Herald Newspaper, May 8, 1928, Page 19

Musferu of ;heWashianon _ 3 Porttait inar Oriental Slum How Came the Father of His Country’s Likeness in a Calcutta Junk Shop, and Who Was the Cryptic Artist Who Forgot OU might expect—if you were a traveler y of parts— to find almost anything in an to Sign fhe Canva-s 0) East Indian junk shop, Ambergris beads, prayer wheels, rugs, brooches and a miscellany uantity of gold was recoverea. Members of the of minor ornaments would certainly be there. ?inn offered Ram Dulal a substantial reward They wouldn’t surprise you in the le for his acumen in acquiring the salvage rights But (even though you had been ned and but the reward was refused on the ground that, your nerves were shock-proof) would you hon- while he was in the employ of the company, he estly believe your eyes when, in just “such an could act only in its interest. Tate scored one odorous, dim, ‘somewhat sinister and o ally against Ram Dulal! Oriental place, you came upon a dusty, but un- The years droned on. Energetic application mistakable, portrait of—George Wa: ington? to business, excellent judgment, and loyalty This curious premise, just stated, it fact, not finally won the former messenger such promo- fancy. And the fact, attested by photographic tion that he was presented with an interest in reproduction on this page, has staggered Ori- the firm Then, a little later, Ram Dulal left ental scholars and 100 per cent Americans alike, the East India Company and set up ‘n business no less than the hotly disputed authorship of on his own. He became the Calcutta representa- the picture in question, about which controversy tive of some big American firms trading in the is still 'll'"lf Orient. At first glimpse, you would exelaim: “Why, The year 1778 had flitted like a shade over that must have been painted by Gilbert Stuart,” the face of history., The liberty bell had rung Stuart having been the most famous of the sev- and cracked, Patrick Henry had demanded liberty A 5 I P i NN 5.5 W i The Mystory Pleture of ral of the Gilbert Stuart Portraits, Art ] . to Whether This is o Copy of a Stuart or an by an Unknown Hand. ton was decided upon, the most suitable gift for an Iydian gentleman who expressed, in his life, the ideals advocated by the first American President. So one day a fast-flying clipper L ;trut‘k thhe blu% peter at her fore, cat! E ‘ ack her anchor, and went racing off to India or death, a shot had the Giory of the Seas, the Brynhilda, the Com- with the st i been fired st Concord modore 5. F. Allen, and all the while Ol Tron- WashinsteLjange cargo of a picture of George ridge, and the Amer- sides and the Constellation were overhaul ing : icnm]d t;olnr;lle- bh-d .urue}r‘l tha] ula:a tdr]lde;l or engaging the pirates of Tripoli ";l'cl;::‘]t; e.cp::,::r:é‘ :;’Se t;\‘: t?;ditl:“‘mtkh::: world by thumbing & metaphorical in deadly chase. ished. i } Iy nose at George III. and getting Ram Bul-l hared in this burst of commerce fi:‘frc’i}:fddr:: g‘:fi"fi:g'&"'g”z' A ‘.;-‘; d‘.fl away with it. and prosperity. His business transactions were m;t prosper, however, and :'h “.t'lln.':.hl d oy d It was the age of the clipper founded upon a never-failing integrity, and tion came into contro] the v e'n, r.t l'h.'d"la"'- ships, Their glistening spars, through the hectic years he amassed possibly the « [ " dissipated. Finglly 5 °1:=§ t.h m braced sharp up, graced the har- greatest private fortune in all India. He did trace of the f""u‘" of ‘;‘.’m an Mal: 'H' T : 5 ' ; bors of the world. They plowed more than that, He won a place in the hearts Calcutta, was put up for publfe 2 t‘ll “ol no:r n htvn, Winner, ] ) w0 their steady furrows over the of his countrymen similar to that which Wash- one the i’urnisfiinppwere rou, h‘t“: :"' d ":" 4 ...“nuh RNl 3 % seven seas, spread top gallant sails ington won in the hearts of the men of the Con- George Washington's ortnit' nn‘:nm"Ll ""‘ Whe Branined the ‘ : © . and jammie greens to the af- tinental Army, and even today the natives of the. with the rest ang dr p'd weirSI p; aoly '!“ Portrait # > € fronted gale, and carried the com- section where Ram Dulal lived consider him M PP y from sight. Ve R merce of America wherever a something of a god. They make a sign of rever- “the'Y Jears passed without any sign or trace e . man would listen or a native ence when his name is mentioned. . of the picture. - Perhaps it was Temembered by MM.. .‘"h . ¢ . trade. They were glorious days, American firms were quick to appreciate the -b few of those who knew the tradition behind it; Its Rea! Seurce. % : '}l‘l:nd men h.h.’r"d blue n; prest whichn his geme!e"u:;f"hl“"‘ them 2 cfi:".‘;::cm];i.:!q:v::"ui:uwzimmxm:ir:- wie 3 ] ; . % i ions with him were most ; life, ndia, eral painters to immortalize the Father of i : get together and present him with a gift which time to wonder over a portralt of *that foreign Hie Country on canves. But experts in ; A . ; : would suitably express their high regard. In gentleman” George Washington. Washingtonians, the most high-toned of 5 % : this group were such firms as Baring Brothers, oot remained for Mr. Mallack, a ntleman by e il il i o i i Lennox and Son, G. S. Higginson, C. & D, Skin. living in Calcutta, to discover the Washington g o ettt e R o1 Gl i, ner, Singleton .;‘d Mezick, S. Austin, Jr., W. C. portrait. Mr. Mallack had traveled o the rtrait just discovered in the slums of , \ - o o G i : Appleton, E. B. Crocker, ' Davies, J. J. Dix. face of the globe. He had collected souvenirs dnt’? ;a’oc mtopry of any known Stuart “ / i 4 well, A. Baker, Jr., and T. C. Bacon, of New If{:‘m di’“"‘,l";d’_j":: agd Mhi" potte "". by = o4 g ‘ . - & a L el by na, pearls from the Sout Seas, oodee Mm us go back, however, in movie fashion to ; ; : E g % g:::ofnl’;},n:i}g;;i:ogen]"e:ll:ne:’i\'m\%h\?yt-\}vl;:nf:nfl charms from Africa and a hundred odd bits from another time than this and another figure than ; ; ’ 2 Marblehead i # ; far parts, the Sage of Mount Vernon, though scarcely les Now came the question—what should they fne, day he was browsing through an ebscure ol kel el . ] b ive? " A life-sized portrait of George Washing- junk shop in Caleutts. His malaey tick poked RE DA D, oo ehad wad espacth ‘ - i Eive? A 1 P about in a dusty corner, and prodded a rolled-u; e o M, N ." "‘“"'h‘:': ;(: v : . : ; ‘ i canvas, fl_vn.hed. in a thick blanket of looge linf Saest patiiviic Amaeicen. "Hia [fa, o, oo 5 b 7 : Thut o hats Juse ane ovgetious deeir Lor . i : . 7 - st an iet (< E‘::u,t :ll‘h’l‘;; o besto'; .P present upon the ) 3 Y 3 ;':re‘d ot‘?né stemm l!ctut: el‘:c:nzlmflumem ""‘l:: ;“nhy eitizen of Bombey, chore 4 Ife-sized | f e f ; . \ . ington! “How did it come here?” inquired Mr. Ber il ey, Dud- b xecsiad by a : Ml : 6 ety colior ot e arta: (e bt #1ig ; ] y ] » Wealthy collector bought the i : : b 1y ) was searc| a ure, m;szt‘)ru turned up in the Junk shop. And y , . p p . \ as ed for a signature, but none was found, : % / ] However, the picture closely resembles a Stuart one wonders who the artist was; what the motive i N ' nerous Americans was, and where the ;{e:::- 'l.u: lain hidden or wandered all these years. About the time that youny Geerge was truth- fully cutting down cherry trees, Ram !!‘.xl-l. an Indian lad, 7u mmk!iu {mbmnn as ntlaw senger boy for ast pany af - cutta. Fl'lr fortune fluttered ever Ram Dnfil and carelessly dropped a morsel or two to test his enterprise. At a publie auction he bid in the sal privilege of a stately clipper ship which had been wrecked on its way up the Hoogli River, just below Calcutta. After considerable difficulty the young mes- r pursuaded his superiors to take up the option which he had bid in, unauthorised. The salvage work was highly succeseful, and a large LY Caleutts Where the Junk Shop in Which the Portrait Was o Fowll'll sll‘lldl. Right: Mrs. Winney in an Indisn Rickshaw. owspeper Fosture Service, 1930, in pose and execution. The pieture was framed, and today it the center-piece in & weird collection of seul tured gods and goddesses, rare tapestries, laces and embroideries, ancient and modern peintings, a|l1d ofl]d o:m- “é:l in Mr. Mallack's home in Llewellyn Square, cutta. At fi of course, Nr. Mallack knew nothing of the legeny e the portrait, and patient inquiry was required to pierce the mystery. But it is not vet entirely eleared up. Whe painted the Washington that went to India? 1t someone can answer this question it may con- found old man Fortune, who aids and abets that intangible quality “mystery” which has such a dilcol;c-rfin. habit ef cropping up all ever the globe